Recreation Ground

The pavilion is now open for bookings, subject to availability. For further information contact the Parish Clerk by clicking here. The open area of the Rec. is fully accessible for exercise and the tennis court and play area are also open.
Community Services within the Village

Charity of the year 2024/25
Village Directory 2024 
Churches
Cuckmere Community Bus route 41
Community Watch / Neighbourhood Watch
Emergency Plan 
Residents' Association
Roads Company
Tree Warden
Village Hall
Village website
Who Looks after What?

Quick Links

Council Meetings:

Timetable of Meetings 2024

Timetable of Meetings 2025 

Full Council

Planning Committee

Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group 

Your Councillors

Contact Us

Follow us on Facebook 

Privacy Notice

Register of Member's Interest

 Welcome

Welcome to the East Dean and Friston Parish Council website. We hope that you enjoy browsing it and finding out more about our village and its council. We always welcome feedback from our site visitors, so if you have any comments or suggestions for improvements then please let us know via the "Contact Us" link.

Next Parish Council Meetings 

Parish Council Meeting - 5th December 2024 7.30pm Village Hall

Planning Committee - 17th December 2024 6.30pm Village Hall

MP surgery -  11th January 2025 9.30-11.30 am. Appointments must be made by emailing james.maccleary.mp@parliament.uk. This is not a drop-in session, so please ensure you have an appointment.


Click below for all the latest Neighbourhood Plan news.

Neighbourhood Plan Update


The Parish and its Council

 

The Parish of East Dean and Friston is located between the south coast towns of Seaford and Eastbourne, situated on the southern edge of Wealden District in the County of East Sussex and within the South Downs National Park. It is a relatively large rural area, comprising the village of East Dean and Friston, together with the smaller hamlets of Birling Gap and Crowlink. The A259 main coast road passes through the Parish with the old village to the south and the newer parts of the village (known as the "Downlands Estate") to the north. The Parish is primarily residential, covers an area of 3.3sq miles and consists of some 760 households with a population of around 2,200. 

East Dean Village is centred around the Village Green with its war memorial, medieval church and long-established inn, “The Tiger”. To the North-West of the village, as the A259 ascends Friston Hill, is the area known as Friston, which was originally a separate village with its own church at the top of the hill.

Birling Gap is a coastal hamlet with a long shingle beach, backed by the famous Seven Sisters cliffs and not far from Beachy Head. The Birling Gap visitor centre and cafe, and some of the surrounding land is owned by the National Trust.

Crowlink is a small hamlet grouped around a manor house; in the 18th century it was a haven for smugglers of Gin that became known as "Genuine Crowlink". It was also once the home of the Edwardian author, Edith Nesbit, whose best-known work is “The Railway Children”.

Parish Councils were formed in England under the Local Government Act 1894 to take over local oversight of civic duties in rural towns and villages. Before this date a variety of groups based around ecclesiastical (church) parishes had responsibility for these matters, in a system of local government that originated in the feudal system of the 8th century. The establishment of Parish Councils effectively separated church from state and today's councils are totally secular in nature and independent from the Parochial Church Councils that deal with the administration of the local Church of England places of worship.

Following the 1894 Act, both East Dean and Friston began Parish Meetings (not council meetings) and East Dean then formed a Parish Council in 1924. The Friston Parish Meeting merged with East Dean to form the East Dean and Friston Parish Council in 1948.

Parish Councils are the first tier of local government and have limited variable tax raising powers. The component part of the Council Tax, which comes to the Parish Council, is known as the Precept.
Parish Councils are responsible for areas known as civil parishes, and there are approximately 9,000 Parish Councils in England. East Dean and Friston is one of those civil Parishes. Although there is nothing to prevent Parish Councils being political in nature, the current East Dean and Friston PC members are all independent of any party political sponsorship. The current Parish Council was elected in 2023 and is due for re-election in May 2027.